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Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C and get out an ovenproof dish (measuring 20 by 30cm, and about 5cm deep). Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When it is boiling rapidly, tip in the pasta with a generous sprinkling of salt. Give it a stir, return to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli, then return the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes more, until the broccoli is on the firm side of just tender. Drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, put the butter, flour and milk in a large pan and heat, whisking or stirring continuously, until it thickens to make a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, sun-dried tomatoes, capers (if using), anchovies (if using) and basil, then add the pasta and broccoli and season well.

Halve the salmon fillets widthways (you will see that there is an obvious divide on each fillet) then place the pieces in a single layer on the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon the broccoli mixture on top, then scatter with the grated cheddar. (You can chill this for up to 4 hours if you want to get ahead.)

Bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is just starting to bubble round the edges and the mixture is pale golden – don’t let it go too dark or the fish will overcook.

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Comments, questions and tips

Comments

Very disappointing. I read all of the comments first, then added extra ingredients for more flavour - sundried tomato pesto, garlic, herbs, Parmesan and extra seasoning - yet it was still bland. Won't be doing it again.

This is a variation of a pasta dish I often make without the fishfor a vege (add sliced red pepper) but I always sprinkle fine white breadcrumbs mixed with ground up salted peanuts and grated cheese over the top. This stops the dish from drying out too much in the oven and adds extra taste.

What can you say about this that hasn't already been said, simply BRILL!

Only three comments firstly it is quite rich not required so large portions are not mandatory, secondly it does reheat beautifully if you take the precaution of covering with foil, and thirdly I made it up to the final baking 24hrs in advance (didn't read the recipe thoroughly ;-) ) and it behaved perfectly. This definitely would fit anything from a family meal to an informal supper party.

After reading the comments on here about it being bland, I used onion and garlic soft cheese and added some chilli flakes to the white sauce. Also put plenty of salt and pepper in it and it turned out lovely. Used 2 salmon fillets (cut in half to make 4 pieces) in a shallow baking dish, but kept the other quantities the same, and found that it was plenty (reduced the cost too). There are only 2 of us so we had it for tea one night and then took leftovers to work the next day for lunch and it reheats well. Def make again.

I made this exactly to the recipe and it's certainly not bland. This was one of the tastiest pasta dishes I have made and lovely with the addition of the salmon. The only thing I would do differently next time is to cut the anchovies and sun dried tomatoes up into much smaller pieces for better texture. This one is a keeper.

We had this last night, it was fabulous and partner scored it 10+. I didn't have any mascarpone so used reduced fat cream cheese and made the white sauce with sauce flour and no butter to reduce the overall fat content. The anchovies, sun dried tomatoes and capers worked really well. I mixed the cheddar cheese with wholemeal bread crumbs to cover the top more thickly as I don't like dried-out pasta.

Really delicious. I used sundried tomato pesto (and quite a lot of it) instead of the sun dried tomatoes themselves and left out the capers and anchovies as my housemate isn't a fan. It worked really well. Shall definitely be making this again.

Made this tonight, had a tin of tinned salmon in the cupboard and thought I would give it a try with that. Perfect results the husband said it was like going to a restaurant so must have been good. Thanks for the recipe will be a favourite.

Pasta bakes are easy and this is about as good as one gets. I added a tomato tapenade to the sauce for extra flavour. Those complaining that they wouldn't serve it up for a dinner party should feel ashamed that that they would serve pasta bake at a dinner party in the first place.

Made this for some friends and their children, so I left out the Capers and Anchovies - big mistake - it was very bland without so will try again with the capers and anchovies. Looked very impressive and the kids liked it, but all the adults agreed it needed the capers and anchovies

Made it for the 2nd time in a week. First time I stuck to the exact recipe but next time added more flavour in the form of roast pepper pesto, garlic and extra sundried tomatoes (with a little bit of their oil). It was so moreish!! Goes down a treat with the whole family. My fav pasta bake.

This is a great base for a pasta bake, but it needs much more flavour! Before I add the anchovies and sun-dried toms etc to the white sauce, I fry them first with diced sweet red pepper, garlic and chilli. Instead of marscapone, (waste of money to use this- the flavour isn't strong enough)I use garlic and herb cream cheese, and I also grate parmesan into it as well. I sometimes add mushrooms too. With these adjusments it makes a wonderful meal! It is often requested in my house!

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